But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
Summary: When people care for you, they want to be with you when you are hurting.
A neighbor I know recently was notified that her son had been in a motorcycle accident. She lives in a small town in the Northwest, and her son lives in Texas. Within hours, she was on a jet headed to Texas to be with her son. She ended up staying for nearly three months while he recovered.
People who love each other are like that. When something happens, we want to be there with them.
Paul had a very close relationship with the Philippians. We can see that in the opening words of his letter to them. We also know that Paul’s hatred for Christians before he met Christ was completely reversed when he met the Lord. Ever since, he has been passionate about his love for those who are fellow believers.
We know a little about Paul’s journey to Rome from Luke’s account in Acts of the Apostles (a.k.a. “Acts”). What we don’t know is when the Philippians first heard about Paul’s imprisonment.
That is hard for us to imagine. Today, someone like Paul might have been on the news fairly often:
NEWSCASTER: “Breaking news tonight: Another riot started by Paul the Apostle has been reported, this time in Jerusalem. Roman authorities were called in to quell the disturbance and Paul was taken into custody. Little is known about his whereabouts at the moment. Rumors have it that he is being taken under guard to the provincial capital in Caesarea …”
Without mass media, it might have been months or years before word arrived in Philippi about Paul’s situation. When it did finally arrive, the Philippians wanted to do something, so they sent Epaphroditus.
Paul has high praise for Epaphroditus. He calls him “brother,””co-worker,” and “soldier” as well as “messenger.” Finally, he acknowledges that Epaphroditus was sent to take care of Paul’s needs.
Epaphroditus was clearly both capable and devoted to God’s work. He was the perfect choice for someone to represent the Philippians’ concern for Paul when he was in Rome.
Application: Caring for others is not a matter of convenience, but of priority.
Food for Thought: What would the cost have been to send Epaphroditus to help Paul?
*We don’t know for certain when the Philippians found out about Paul’s situation or how quickly they reacted. What we are certain of is that they wanted to help.
What would the cost have been to send Epaphroditus to help Paul?
It is hard to know the monetary cost, I think the cost was more in the time to travel and possible peril that Epaphroditus faced on the journey. It would have taken him 6 weeks to travel from Philippi to Rome, as the distance is about 800 miles over treacherous terrain. Also we learn later in Philippians 4:18 that Epaphroditus was carrying a monetary gift for Paul and would have been in danger of robbers/highwaymen. We know Epaphroditus was with Paul long enough to become ill, recover, and that news reached the ears of the Philippian Church, so we can assume it was a long time. He would have had to secure lodging, food, pretty much live there in Rome during that time, as well as be cared for during his illness.
So I think one point that can be derived from the question is that Epaphroditus’ visit to Paul was no small matter, and it testifies to how much the Philippian Church cared for Paul.
Thank you, Chris!
Well said. Yes, there was a lot involved in sending Paul help.